Category Archives: EASTER DINNER RECIPES

CHEDDAR PECAN CRACKERS

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

So one day I’m talking to my mother-in-law, who by the way was a fabulous cook, about appetizers. She told me about these crackers she used to make that were just fabulous. So not being a shy, young daughter-in-law, I asked her if she would make some for our next get-together. And because I am so adorable, she did just that. OK, the result was disastrous! I made a complete pig of myself. I just could not restrain myself from going back for “just one more”! (I’m still embarrassed about that less than stellar moment in my life.) The upshot was that she gave me the recipe, and because I am terribly devoted to my readers, I am going to share the recipe with you. Please, don’t make the same mistake I did. Make these and sample one (good luck on that!) when you are alone. You’ll thank me, I promise.

  • 1 c. butter, room temperature
  • 1 tsp. cayenne
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 4 c. (1 lb.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 2 c. finely chopped pecans
  • 2 c. flour

Cream butter, cayenne, salt, and cheese together in a large mixing bowl. Add pecans and flour and mix well. Roll dough into logs, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. When ready to bake, slice dough in thin slices (about 1/4th inch thick) and place on lightly buttered baking sheet. Bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until edges and bottoms are a nice golden brown. (I don’t use the convection option on my oven when I bake these crackers.) Remove crackers from pan as soon as they come out of the oven. But be careful. They are very fragile while still warm. Allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container. They will stay fresh for a couple of weeks, if they last that long, of course!

 

CRAB BISQUE – also reverently referred to as Heaven in a Bowl!

I absolutely love serving a first course soup at dinner parties. I have a large selection of flat bottomed coffee cups (short, squat, straight sided, with the bottom and top sharing the same circumference) that I picked up at our local Goodwill. After the appetizers and beverages have been served, and my guests have had sufficient time to tell me how wonderful the appetizers tasted (always allow time between courses for unsolicited compliments), I hand out small cups of a rich soup like this bisque before the main course is served. The servings are small because my first course soups tend to be very rich, and a tiny amount goes a long way. In fact, I try to serve fairly small portions of every dish that I serve. I have always felt that a person’s taste buds (like mine for example – that can legitimately be classified as overworked) get tired after a few bites of any flavor, regardless of how fabulous. So rather than too much quantity of any one food, I prefer to offer a greater assortment of small dishes, with lots of different and interesting flavors and flavor combinations represented. And yes, I know that it takes more time and effort to prepare the food for a dinner party using my criteria, but happy taste buds dancing around your dining room is worth the effort.

  • 2 T. butter (don’t even think about using margarine)
  • 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
  • ¼ c. loosely packed basil chiffonade* (rolled into the shape of a cigarette and very thinly sliced)
  • 2 ½ T. flour
  • 2 c. vegetable stock
  • 8-oz. can tomato sauce
  • 1 c. heavy cream
  • 1/8 tsp. white pepper
  • 1/3 lb. fresh or canned crab (do not use that fake crab stuff in MY Crab Bisque recipe – or else!)

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté for 2 or 3 minutes, or until soft. Add basil and continue sautéing for 1 minute more. Whisk in flour and cook until mixture is bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add veggie stock and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil. Add heavy cream and bring back to just under a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, add white pepper and crab, reserving a tiny amount to add as a garnish, and continue cooking 3 or 4 minutes. Serve immediately garnished with reserved crab.

*rolled into the shape of a cigarette and very thinly sliced

 

SUN DRIED TOMATO AND FRESH BASIL SPREAD

Ok, so here’s the deal, I’m cheap frugal. Every morning I used to stop at a wonderful bagel shop (remember those) in the bowels of the many story building where I worked before heading up to my cubicle in the sky. (I still hate wind storms because of the way that building would sway in the wind.) But I digress.  Anyway, I would buy my bagel, but without any flavored cream cheese my plain bagel was just not acceptable to my highly sophisticated (and spoiled I might add) taste buds. So, here comes the part about my being “frugal”. I fell in love with this lovely creamy sun dried tomato spread. Those shop owners thought I should pay, every morning mind you, $1.50 more for just a wee smear of this blessed concoction on my already over-priced bagel. Since I don’t take lightly to paying more for something than I should, I went home and duplicated the flavor of their heavenly spread. From that day forward, I still bought their wonderful bagels, but cleverly disguised in a Tupperware container, I brought and smeared my bagel with this homemade version of their lovely spread. By the way, it’s not just good on bagels. It is equally happy being spread on crackers or toasted baguette slices.

  • 1 (8-oz.) pkg. reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 T. sun dried tomato bits (not oil packed is the best, but if all you have are sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, just drain slightly and chop finely)
  • 5-6 large basil leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 T. chopped fresh parsley**
  • 2 small cloves of garlic, finely minced**
  • ½ c. finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 heaping tablespoons light mayonnaise or low fat sour cream

Combine all ingredients; refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving at room temperature with crackers, toasted baguette slices, or even bagels.

**Hint: When you have both parsley and garlic to mince, and they are going into a recipe at the same time, mince them together. The parsley helps keep the garlic from “skipping” around your cutting board. In the case of this recipe, I add the basil to the garlic and parsley too. I’m lazy – what can I say?

 

 

ROSEMARY ROASTED CASHEWS

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I first made these cashews several years ago for a vocal jazz in-home concert. They were an immediate hit. (The recipe is a slight modification of an Ina Garten classic.) Happily, the monthly home concerts have flourished and many of our guest artists have made return visits to perform as part of our ongoing series. I’m sure it’s because of these fabulous nuts! Just sayin…….

  • 4 c. salted whole cashew nuts
  • 1 T. melted butter
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 2 T. coarsely chopped fresh rosemary (I know this seems like a lot, but trust me on this one!)
  • 2 tsp. brown sugar

Place the nuts on an ungreased baking pan and warm in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 6-10 minutes. (Don’t let nuts get brown, so watch carefully.) Meanwhile, combine the melted butter, salt, cayenne, rosemary, and brown sugar in a bowl large enough to also hold the nuts when they come out of the oven. Toss the warm nuts with the rosemary mixture until they are well coated. Serve warm or cool thoroughly and store in an airtight container.